how to file a complaint against a tennessee lawyer

To bring a disciplinary proceeding against an attorney in the state, the Tennessee Supreme Court

requires that you first file a Memorandum of Complaint with the Board of Professional Responsibility of the Tennessee Supreme Court that includes your name, the name of the attorney and a description of the facts leading to the complaint.

Full Answer

How do I file a complaint against a judge in Tennessee?

If you are filing a complaint against an attorney practicing law but not licensed in Tennessee, you will need to print and submit a complaint form to the Board via email attachment or U.S. mail to the following address: Board of Professional Responsibility 10 Cadillac Drive, Suite 220 Brentwood, TN 37027 complaints@tbpr.org

How do I file a complaint against a lawyer?

To file a complaint online: Access the online complaint form; Fill in the requested information and submit the complaint; Please allow several days for processing. You will be notified when your complaint is assigned to a consumer specialist and sent to the business. Complaints can also be filed by mail, fax, or email. Processing times may be longer for these submission methods. To …

Are consumer complaints subject to the Tennessee Division of Consumer Affairs?

Jul 21, 2017 · To bring a disciplinary proceeding against an attorney in the state, the Tennessee Supreme Court requires that you first file a Memorandum of Complaint with the Board of Professional Responsibility of the Tennessee Supreme Court that includes your name, the name of the attorney and a description of the facts leading to the complaint.

What are the most common complaints against lawyers?

Instructions For Filing Complaints (This complaint form is for use to file a complaint against licensed or non-licensed individuals or companies) COMPLAINANT/RESPONDENT : Complete the Complaint form in its entirety; the Complainant being the individual/company filing the complaint and the Respondent being the individual/company in which the complaint is being filed against.

How to file a complaint online?

To file a complaint online: Access the online complaint form. Fill in the requested information and submit the complaint. Please allow several days for processing. You will be notified when your complaint is assigned to a consumer specialist and sent to the business. Complaints can also be filed by mail, fax, or email.

What is price gouging complaint?

The price gouging complaints received by the Division of Consumer Affairs are all individually evaluated. Price increases are generally considered by evaluating the increases of costs to fuel, the pre-existing price agreements, and increases in costs imposed by suppliers.

How long does it take to get a lemon law refund?

Lawsuits must be brought within six months of: one year from the date of original delivery of your car or from the expiration of your expressed warranty, whichever is later.

What is the Division of Consumer Affairs?

The Division of Consumer Affairs offers an informal complaint mediation program. The Division’s complaint mediation process affords consumers and businesses a good faith means to remedy disputes. Disputes outlined in consumer complaints vary from consumer issues related to financial transactions to consumer purchases of products, goods, ...

What are the rules of professional conduct in Tennessee?

These rules require attorneys to generally act with diligence and competence. For example, an attorney must not miss important deadlines, which would put a client's case at risk. He must also properly disclose fees to clients and maintain client funds in a properly designated account. Under the rules, lawyers may not divulge confidential client information without permission, or take on work that creates a conflict of interest with another client.

What is the purpose of discipline?

The main purpose of discipline is to correct the lawyer's wrongdoings. To warrant discipline, the lawyer must have engaged in professional misconduct; merely making a mistake, or having a misunderstanding or disagreement with a client are not reasons for disciplinary action.

What is Christina Whitaker's degree?

Christina Whitaker began her writing career in 2005 in newspaper journalism. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in English from UCLA and a law degree. Her legal experience includes work in Federal Court, and civil and criminal litigation. She also maintains a blog on social, pop-culture and cultural matters.

Authority Regarding Complaints

The boards and commissions were created to enforce their respective state licensing laws. Their power and authority exists only within the area authorized by the Tennessee Legislature.

Anonymous Complaints

Anonymous complaints containing advertisements or other independent proof of a violation will be opened as complaint cases and processed according to the normal complaint procedures (independent proof is defined as proof which does not depend solely on the statement of the anonymous complaint).

File a Complaint

If you believe a judge has violated the Code of Judicial Conduct, you may file a complaint with the Board of Judicial Conduct. Before filing a complaint, please review the Frequently Asked Questions for more information about the complaint process and what the Board of Judicial Conduct may consider.

What Happens With Your Complaint

The disciplinary counsel will review your complaint and send it to a three member investigative panel to determine whether or not to investigate it further. If the complaint does not include specific facts which establish judicial misconduct, the investigative panel will dismiss the complaint and notify you and the judge of the dismissal.

How to file a complaint against a lawyer?

In most states, you can file your complaint by mailing in a state-issued complaint form or a letter with the lawyer's name and contact information, your contact information, a description of the problem, and copies of relevant documents. In some states, you may be able to lodge your complaint over the phone or online.

What happens if a client fires a lawyer?

When a client fires a lawyer and asks for the file, the lawyer must promptly return it. In some states, such as California, the lawyer must return the file even if attorneys’ fees haven’t been paid in full. Lawyer incompetence. Lawyers must have the knowledge and experience to competently handle any case that they take on.

Who reviews ethics complaints?

In most cases, a board of lawyers and non-lawyers will review the complaint. If there’s a potential ethical violation, the board will give the lawyer a copy of the complaint and an opportunity to respond.

Do lawyers make mistakes?

Lawyers are human, and like everyone else, they sometimes make mistakes when representing clients. In some cases, the mistakes are small and easily fixable—for example, not filing enough copies of a document with the court or needing to reschedule a meeting. Other times, the mistakes are serious—such as missing the deadline to file a lawsuit, ...

What is the responsibility of a lawyer?

Lawyers are given a lot of responsibility and often deal with serious matters, from criminal charges to child custody to tax and other financial matters. When you hire a lawyer, you are trusting him or her to represent your interests in the best manner possible.

What are the rules of professional conduct?

The American Bar Association publishes the Model Rules of Professional Conduct, which lists standard ethical violations and best practices for lawyers. Some states have adopted the model rules as their own ethical rules, while others use it as a guide and modify or add rules.

What is the duty of a lawyer?

Lawyers have a duty to keep their clients reasonably informed about the status of their cases, to respond promptly to requests for information, and to consult with their clients about important decisions in their cases (for example, whether to accept a settlement offer). Not returning the client's documents.